AviatDataKamuzu International Airport LLW / FWKI
Lilongwe · MW · Airport Developments Limited (ADL) - commercial parastatal wholly owned by the Government of Malawi, registered under Malawi's 1977 Companies Act (built KIA 1977-1982; exact ADL founding year vs Companies Act year not independently distinguished by primary sources); regulatory oversight by the Department of Civil Aviation Malawi. Note: Wikipedia's infobox still lists the Department of Civil Aviation as operator - that is stale; ADL's own site (adlmw.com) confirms ADL as current operator of KIA, Chileka, Mzuzu, Likoma and Karonga airports.
310kpax · 2023
Limited hoursInternational · customs & immigrationJet A-1 · Avgas 100LL
ICAO / IATAFWKI / LLW
OperatorAirport Developments Limited (ADL) - commercial parastatal wholly owned by the Government of Malawi, registered under Malawi's 1977 Companies Act (built KIA 1977-1982; exact ADL founding year vs Companies Act year not independently distinguished by primary sources); regulatory oversight by the Department of Civil Aviation Malawi. Note: Wikipedia's infobox still lists the Department of Civil Aviation as operator - that is stale; ADL's own site (adlmw.com) confirms ADL as current operator of KIA, Chileka, Mzuzu, Likoma and Karonga airports.
Coordinates13.7892°S, 33.7808°E
Elevation4,035 ft · 1,230 m
Time zoneCAT (UTC+2, no DST)
Passengers / yr310,000 (2023)
CustomsYes
Border controlYes
SchengenNo
FuelJet A-1 · Avgas 100LL
Bonded—
AIP referenceFWKI - AIP Malawi (Department of Civil Aviation Malawi)
Operating hoursTower/approach 0400-1700 UTC (0600-1900 CAT) daily, extendable on request; airport core ops 0530-1500 UTC O/T O/R; not H24 (not independently re-verified against a primary AIP source - no contradicting evidence found)
TerminalsTwo buildings - Terminal 1 (domestic) and Terminal 2 (international); the international departure lounge, arrival hall and domestic building were rebuilt under a Japan/JICA-funded project (rehabilitation ran approximately 33 months, launched circa 2016-2017, handed over April 2019 - confirmed by Wikipedia, exact start month not pinned down by primary sources). A larger 'airport city' master-plan expansion (hotels, mall, aviation university) was floated by government in 2024 but as of the latest reporting had no confirmed funding/contractor and awaited Cabinet approval - not yet under construction.
Runways (1)
- 14/32 · 3,540 m / 11,614 ft · 45 m wide · Asphalt · ILS CAT I (RWY 14) - not independently re-confirmed against a primary AIP source this pass
Airport contact
Pax of ~310,000 (2023, up from ~270,000 in 2022) is the latest verified figure and is now stale (3 years old); a 2024 news report cited an unconfirmed expectation of ~362,000 for 2024, not an audited actual. ADL's own site separately states approximately 300,000 passengers annually with no year attached, broadly consistent, not independently re-broken-out by year. No Chinese-built terminal could be verified at LLW - the 2019 international departure lounge/arrival hall/domestic building rebuild was Japan (JICA)-funded, confirmed by Wikipedia; China's confirmed adjacent project is the M1 Lilongwe-airport dual carriageway road (completed circa 2023), separate from the terminal itself. Runway length has a minor source conflict: ADL's own airport page states 3,407m/11,178ft for RWY 14/32, while Wikipedia and OurAirports independently agree on 3,540m/11,614ft; the majority-sourced 3,540m figure is used in the runways array.
Services
Available
On request / PPR
Seasonal / ageing
Unconfirmed / not listed
Ground handling
Available
LIHACO (Lilongwe Handling Company)
Sole ground handler at Kamuzu International Airport, operating under a concession from Airport Developments Limited (ADL) and the Department of Civil Aviation since April 2000; provides passenger, ramp and load-control services to all scheduled flights, including marshalling, loading/unloading, towing/pushback, cabin cleaning and ramp-to-flight-deck communications; confirmed directly on LIHACO's own site (lihaco.net/about-us, lihaco.net/services).
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aircraft fuel
Available
Puma Energy Malawi
Into-plane fuel supplier at Kamuzu International Airport, operating one of Malawi's only two aviation fuel storage depots and offering Jet A-1 and AVGAS with refuellers equipped with electronic water-detection quality-control systems; a July 2025 Business Malawi report states Puma was supplying 100% of jet fuel at both Kamuzu and Chileka International Airports, making it the de facto sole into-plane supplier serving every scheduled and based carrier at Kamuzu, including Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Airlink, Malawi Airlines and Nyasa Express (FlyNyasa); confirmed via Puma Energy's own country site (pumaenergy.com), Press Corporation PLC's investor page, and Malawi Voice news coverage of Puma's Kamuzu/Chileka refuelling operations.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
De-icing
Not listed
Part-145 line maintenance
Unconfirmed
Malawi Airlines Limited
Self-handled: Malawi Airlines is the Lilongwe-hubbed flag carrier (actively expanding routes as of its own August 2026 announcement) and recruits its own Aircraft Maintenance Technicians for positions based in Lilongwe, per a Malawi Airlines Limited vacancy posting for "AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANS, Location: Lilongwe"; the airline is a registered partnership between the Malawi Government and Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise, with Ethiopian providing technical/management support since the 2013 relaunch, and Ethiopian MRO's own site lists "Malawian" among the third-party operators it supports; no public AMO/repair-station certificate number was located for a Kamuzu-based line-maintenance operation, so marked unconfirmed.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Part-145 base maintenance
Not listed
Component shops & overhaul
Not listed
Flight catering
Available
Malawi Catering Services Limited
Operates a dedicated in-flight kitchen physically located at Kamuzu International Airport (head office and Ndege Lounge/Forward Holding Lounge/VIP Lounge catering operations on-site), supplying onboard/in-flight and terminal catering to airlines; confirmed via the company's own site (malawicateringservicesltd.com) and its recurring recruitment ads for in-flight-kitchen chefs and "Aircraft Loader/Driver" positions tenable "at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA)".
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aircraft cleaning
Available
LIHACO (Lilongwe Handling Company)
Cabin cleaning is listed as one of LIHACO's core ramp-handling functions performed during aircraft turnarounds at Kamuzu International Airport; confirmed on LIHACO's own site (Ramp Services section).
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Ground support equipment
On request
LIHACO (Lilongwe Handling Company)
Operates its own in-house "Garage" unit covering routine maintenance, repairs and diagnostics for the ramp-vehicle/ground-support-equipment fleet used at Kamuzu International Airport; confirmed on LIHACO's own site, no public rate card so marked on_request.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Cargo handling
Available
LIHACO (Lilongwe Handling Company)
Provides cargo, mail and baggage handling for all scheduled flights operating in and out of Kamuzu International Airport under its ADL/DCA concession, per LIHACO's stated mandate "to provide passenger, baggage, ramp, cargo and mail handling services"; confirmed on LIHACO's own corporate site.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aviation security
Unconfirmed
Airport Police (Malawi Police Service)
Malawi Police Service is listed as a stakeholder providing "Land-side Security" at Kamuzu International Airport on Airport Developments Limited's own stakeholder page (adlmw.com, linking to police.gov.mw); a Logistics Cluster/DLCA airport assessment similarly documents passenger/baggage security functions at Kamuzu as being handled by an "Airport Security Police" unit, though ADL's own services list separately shows "Screening Services" and "Baggage Wrap" among ADL's own service lines, so the split between police guarding and screening-equipment operation is unclear; this is a state police function rather than a licensed private regulated agent, and no dedicated public contact details were found.
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Passenger & crew transport
Available
Avis Rent a Car (Lilongwe Int'l Airport)
On-airport car-rental counter at Kamuzu International Airport, usable for crew and passenger ground transport; address, phone and hours independently confirmed matching across Avis's own regional booking sites (avis.com.au/en/locations/mw/lilongwe/llw and the Avis-branded Budget Lilongwe Airport (LLW) page), both listing "Kamuzu Int Airport, Lilongwe" and phone (•••. · 06:00-18:00 daily
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Flight support
On request · 2 providers
LIHACO (Lilongwe Handling Company)
States it is equipped to handle unscheduled and ad hoc/charter flights at Kamuzu International Airport, coordinating permits and turnaround services as the default ramp/handling point of contact for non-scheduled traffic; confirmed on LIHACO's own site (Unscheduled & Adhoc Flights section).
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Airport Developments Limited (ADL)
Airport operator/concessioning authority for Kamuzu International Airport; its own official services page explicitly lists "VIP Services" alongside Ground Handling Services, Screening Services, Baggage Wrap and Ground Transportation among its "Other Services," but does not specify whether ADL performs VIP/meet-and-assist handling directly or via a sub-contractor (the ground-handling concession itself is held by LIHACO), so marked unconfirmed; confirmed directly on ADL's own official site (adlmw.com/services).
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Verified 2 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Hotel & travel
Not listed